Art of attaching rubber heels



J. B. HADAWAY ART oF ATTACHVING RUBBER fix-:ELS

Filed ,July 25. 1921 @www Patented Feb. 8, Y 1927.

initiate nairessiiares Para L aoiiii'n. ADAWAY, orsurenrsoorlr, 'iviasseonnsnrfrsf.Assieiron,To niifrnn stron MACHINERY conroiaarioiv, or rerniasoir, new aanslaan conronariou Aor new JERSEY.

I Application vfiled l.uly Q5,

' tion.

In the following specification and claims I 'the term rubber heel is used in the sense in which it is "commonly employed in the trade, and it should be clearly understood that in no case is it to be construed as limited to a heel consisting only of pure rubber, but that such Vheels are to be in-v eluded as Vhaveth-e common lcharacteristics of so-called rubber heels land may be made of rubber, rubber compositions, Vor other suitable compositions ofan elastic, yielding, cushioning or'resilient character.

Elastic, cushion heels sometimes consist wholly of such a composition asabove described but it is, perhaps, at the present time, more common to combine a rubber top section with aysubstantially rigid base lsection made of leather, leatherboard or other suitable material, heels of the type last referred to being commonly called composite heels. Certain features of the inventionlare applicable to both composite heels and heels made entirely of rubber or like material,

While other features of the invention are of V especial utility in connection with composite heels, a-ll as Will appear clearly hereinafter.

Rubber heels are usually provided with Washers embedded in thebody of the heel, the attaching nails being drivenv through the Washersl until the nail heads'VV engage the Washers. The purpose of the Washers .is to prevent the nail heads'from pulling through the yielding material ofthe heel and permitting the heel to become separated froin shoes it is desirable that the heels be blind Anm on Arriioriine RUBBER v,impairs 1921; serial No. 48?;3'14:

nailed. so that thenail heads shall not be H visible in the finished shoe. l 1 y c 1 One object of theinvention, thereforeyis to produce a shoe having' a rubber heel attached by yblind nailingyand to this end in au important aspect', the invention 'resides in a method of attaching rubber heels, Which comprises stretching the rubber, inserting an attaching fastening through the stretched rubber, andy thenl permitting the rubber to resume its "original state, lthat is to say, to

close over yand concealV the head rof the attaching fastening. AByplacing the rubber under tension inthe area Wherethe attach-y ing nail is to-be driven, mutilation ofthe rubber bythe attaching Anail andthe driver f is minimized and when the tension is released the' rubber closes together yover the head of the nailso completely as to eifectually conceal the latter and scarcely to leave a visible mark. This feature of the invention is applicable to both Whole rub-l ing vcomposite heels. According to one of` these methods the leather or leatherboard base section is lirst attached to the shoe `in the'same manner V,as any 'ordinary heel;then, in a separate operation, the rubber top section is attached by nails driven into the base section, andv sometimes passing through and clinchingin the insole.A This methodjrequires'tvvo separate and distinct heel 'at- `taching operations, Which are usually performed on different machines, andp'involves substantial expense.`v According tothe secyond method of attaching, rthe rubber section is cemented to the base section preliminarily and the composite heel thus produced-r is 'attached in a single nailing operationby nails passing through both sections in clinching Vin the insole.. This second method,vvhile effecting a substantial saving in laborcost,

has the .drawback that When a shoe repairerundertakes to replace the Worn rubber heel section by a neivone he `has to pull out all the attaching nails inorder to removethe old ,rubber section, thus allowing the base section ofthe heel also tol separate from the shoe. Another object of the invention, therefore, is to devise a novelV method of attaching composite heels which shall have all the advantages of both of the former methods without any of the/,drawbacks of either.. V,

To this end, in another aspect the invention'consists in a method of attaching coinposite heels which comprises*pressing a lheel upon aV shoe, and driving a plurality of attaching-fastenings to different depths at a single operation. The heads of part of the fastenings may be drivenentirely through the rubber section .until they are located sub stantially in the outer face of the base section,.v the remaining'nails'being `driven less deeply so that their heads remain embeddef; in the` rubber .section and serve as securing .meansfor the rubber section. Theiirst menf tionedset of nails serve as securing means for the base section and when it becomes necessary-to.repairthe-shoe the rubber section canbe removed without disturbing them Yrubber section.

or dislocating the base section with respect tothe shoe. This procedure may advantageously be combined with the blind nailing previously described, `the rubber heel having indications arranged upon its tread face atthe points. where the attaching nails vare to be drivenand washersembedded in the heel in registeronly withV such of theindications as. define-the locations of ther second set of vattaching nails` above `referred to,

namely, those which serve as attachingr kmeans for the rubber section.

Vhen, attaching composite heels at a sing-ie .nailing it has been customary heretofore to make the base section of the heel somewhat larger tha-n therubber sectionand to apply the .attaching pressure, which isrequired in the nailing: operation,- to that portion of the base sectioniwhich proj ectsbeyondt-he edges of the yIt has been considered impracticable to apply the attaching pressure through ther-ubber sectionl because the latter '.is ofi a sufficiently yielding `quality to be seriously distorted by any very considerable pressure, making it impossible to drive the vnails through the washers; and, indeed, it is practically impossible to transmit sutlicient att-aching pressure throughv a rubber section which is unconfin'ed at its edges. Rubber, however, when confined, is an almost incompressible substance and in another aspect of is not necessary to make the base section materially larger than the rubber section.

Further features of the invention relate to improved heeling'inachine construction by the aidV of which my new and improved gangs of fastenings to dilierent depths in aV composite heel; and other features of improvement which will appear more completely from the following ldetailed description of a preferred form of the invention, read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in whichy Fig. l is a view partly in perspective and partly'in section of a rubber heel made ina ccordance with the invention; Y F ig. 2 is an exploded view showing the under side of the rubber heel section andthe topY of a portion of a leather or leatherboard base section with which it isfto be assembled to form al composite heel; y

Fig. 3 is a view of a portion of a heeling maGhine embodying the invention, with the work in position; Y Y

Fig. 4 is a-nenlarged detail ofa portion of the nailing die of the heeling machine withv a rubber heel section in position to begin the application of pressure; Y

Fig. 5 is a view similarto Fig showing the position of theV parts after anattaching nail is driven;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the condition of the heel after the pressure is released; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view upon a planeindicated by the line 7 7 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, l0 indicates a rubber heel section or lift and 12 indicates va rigid base section which may be built up of lifts of leather, leatherboard oi' other suitable material.

The rubber section 10 is preferably of uniform thickness throughout and comprises a central, fiat portion and a curved, edge portion lli extending around the periphery of the fiat portion, with the eceptionr of the breast edge. The heel thus constructed is, in effect, concave upon its inner, or contacting, face and convex upon its outer or tread face, but becomes flattened when it is pressed upon a shoe and by reason of the inwardly curved marginal portion let a tight joint around the edge is assured without the necessity of resorting to cement. On the inner face of the rubber lift are formed two frusto-pyramidal projections 16 which are pla-ne as the edge 18 formed by the intersection 'of the inner facel andthe curved periphery lof the lift. Y

In the tread face of the lift are formed a plurality of shallow, approximately conical depressions 20 arranged in the pattern of the desired nailing. These depressions act as indicating means to show where the nails are to be driven. Washers 22 are embedded in the rubber in register with certain of the indicating depressions 20, as will be eX- plained in more detail hereinafter. Contrary to the usual practice, the bottoms of the depressions 2O are completely closed, or iinperfcrate, there being a lsubstantial thickness of rubber between the bottom of the depression and the corresponding washer, as clearly shown at 24 in Fig. 1`. The necessary holes made by the washer supporting pins in the vulcanizing mold in which the heel is manufactured, which are usually to be found in the tread face of a rubber heel, are, in this instance, in the inner face and by reference to Fig. 2 wherein these holes are indicated by the reference numeral 26, the locations of theV washers 22 inthe heel section may be readily determined, it being understood that there is such a washer at the bottom of each of the holes 26; By comparisonof Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that y certain of the depressions 20have no corresponding Vwashers, the rubb-er being unbroken beneath such depressions, as shown at 27 in Fig. 1. Y

In the outer face of the base' section 12 are two cylindrical recesses 28 corresponding to the projections 16 on the contiguous face of the rubber section 10. The top of Vthe pyraniidal projection 16 is preferably smaller in every horizontal dimension' than the diameter of the recess 28, as is also the shorter diameter of the base of the pyramid, while the diagonal of the base of the pyramid is preferably greater than the diameter of the recess 28, lwith the result that the projection will enter the recess readily while contact of the projection'with the walls of the recess is insured and, consequently, accurate-register of the two sections of the heel is'secured. Furthermore, the material of the projections 16 being of yielding'nature,` the accuracy of the registration is practically unaffected by 'shrinkage or eX- pansion ofthe recesses 28,1 due to various conditions of temper of the base section of the heel.V

The sections 10 and12 are preliminarily attached together' by two nails'vSO driven through the two washer holes 26 nearest the projections 16 and clinched on the under side of the lbase sectionas shown in Fig. 7. By utilizing the particularwashers nearest the projections 16 for these nails any danger 'of the projections 16 being pulled out-0f the recesses 28' byV the natural tendency of the Irubber heelA to spring away from .the base Vis avoided. Such a contingency, of course,

would involve danger of destroying vthe 'properregister ofthe two sections; 1

Assuming the composite heelto have been assembled, as` above described, 1t is ready for attachment to ashoe. Fig. 8V showsthe lupper portion of a common commercial type of heeling machine which, with appropriate modifications, is suitable for use in connection with my invention.' According tothe invention theV nailing die is provided 'withfa series of nozzles or projections32 upon its pressure applying face, said nozzles or Vprojections being arranged to enter the depressions 20 in the tread face of the heel and the taper of the Vnozzles or projections being less than that of the depressions 20 or, in

other words, the extremities of the nozzles or projections being V,f rreater in' diameter than thevbottoms of the cavities, the nozzles or lprojections are forced into,v the rubberl around each of the lcavities and the rubber is stretched or put under tension Vwhen pres- 'sure is applied.

. Itis av fact welllknown to those familiar with 'the manufacture. of rubber heels that even heels which are vulcanized in the same mold' arev not all alike. Such heels vary more or less in' respectto the relative locations' rof the washers therein and .in respect` to their sizes and shapes. This is due partly to lack of'absolute uniformity in the batches of rubber composition and partly to shrink.- j

age o f thel heel after its removal from'- the mold. The shrinkage is not uniformeither in direction or amount. A valuable feature of the present invention resides in the meanslprovided for positively locating all the elements ofthe heel with exactness'inktheir proper 'relation'to the shoe and maintaining the heel'with respectr to the driver passages 34 is insured and misplacement of the washer bearing portions of the heel under the pressure of the heeling machine is prevented.

The nozzles or projections 82 are located in a cavity in the face of the nailing die, surrounded by a rigid, strong wall or ring 36 which is of substantially the same depth as the thickness ofthe rubber heel section 10 and which fits the periphery of the rubber sectiongfairly closely.V Thus, the wall'or ring 36 accurately locates and coniinesthe edge of the heel while the nozzles or projec- ,130

i, shape and. held unyieldingly with all its elements in their proper, predetermined positions While the attaching nails are being driven. l

.- The composite heel having been inserted i in the ring 36 a shoe is placed upon the jack 38 and positioned in the heeling machine beneath the heel. The shoe and heel are then pressed together,y the rubber section ot the heel vbeing vflattened into contact with the base section, the Washers being alined With the-nozzles or projections 32, and the rubber section being held positively against expansion by the ring 3G. The heavy pressure of the heel attaching machine is now applied and, the rubber section being confined against `lateral expansion, the pressure is transmitted lthrough it, forcing thebase into solid contact Vwith the heel seat of the shoe. The rubber around the bottoms of the cavities or depressions 20 is now stretched or under tension and the drivers 40 are caused to descend to drive home a load of nails, which has previously been inserted in the nailing die. Attaching nails, are, ot course, omitted from thel two holes in the nailing 'die Which correspond to the previously inserted nails 30, and the nails which are kdriven by the heeling machine are of different lengths, the longer ones being shown at 42 and the shorter ones at 44. The drivers 40 are also of different lengths, the Vlonger drivers being utilized to drive the shorter nails and vice versa. As the nails are driven they cut their Way through the stretched rubber', as shown in Fig. 5, and when the pressure is removed from the heel the rubber, in resuming its normal condition, closes over the heads of the nails, as shownY at 46, eiiectually and completely concealing them from view. The short nails 44 are driven into the cavities 20 for Which there are no corresponding Washers and are driven completely through v the rubber section untiltheir heads are seatpull out only the nailsBO and 42, leaving the r base of the heel still securedpto the shoe by the nails 44.

The originalshape and qualities ot the and with respectto the labor required to applyv it'v are eliminated;

Fiuthermore a blind nailed rubber heel of..

'pleasing appearance, is secured which is suitable `ior the verybest class of footwear, and may be removed m the process of repairing the shoe lWithout destroylngthe'invtegrity ot' the remainder of the heelV por.- tion of the shoe.

This result is attained in a single attaching operation at a minimum expense. l

The novel composite heel and shoe construction herein illustrated and described is claimed in a separate application' Serial No. 604,761 filed Dec. 4, 1922, as av division ot the present application. y e

Having described the invention, `what is new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:-- y

l. That method of attaching rubber heels which comprises stretching the rubber, inserting an attaching fastening through Vthe stretched rubber, and then permitting the rubber to resume its original state. A e

rihat method of attachingrubb-er heels which comprises placing the rubber in a localized area of the heel under tension, .driving an attaching fastening through said localized area of tensioned rubber, and

then releasing the tension.

8. That method of attaching a rubber heel which comprises placing a plurality ot localized areas of the heel under tension,

.inserting attaching astenings through the tensioned portions of the rubber, and then releasing the tension. I

4. That method of attaching rubber heels Which comprises placing a portion of the heel under tension, driving an attachingnail through the tensioned rubber to a point Where the head of the nail is Within the body of the heel, andthen releasing the tension and allowing the rubber to close over the head of the nail. Y

5. That method oi: attaching a heel to a shoe which compr.l ses assembling aheel top section with a heel base section, then pressing the assembled heel upon a shoe, and.

thereafter driving to different Idepths at a single operation a plurality ot attaching iiastenings, certain of said fastenings' being effective to attach only the base section to the shoe and others of said fastenings being effective to attach the top section to the shoe.

6. That method of attaching :a composite heel consistingv ot a rigid base section, and a rubber top section which comprises pressing the assembled heel upon a shoe. and therei after driving a plurality of attaching nails,

part .of'said nailsv being driven tol'suoh'a depth that their head ends are substantiallyy lflush iviththe plane of Contact betvv-eentlie .base and rubber sectionsand yothers ofl said [7.v That method of'attaching a composite heel consisting of al rigid y'base section and a rubbervtop section `which comprises vplac-l ingv the assembled heel upon al ysho`e,"conin size from the depressions.,

Y fining the rubber section on all edges against ysec-tion.

` rubber top ysection which comprises placing the base section and the top section vupon a slice, confining the rubber sectipn .against eX- -eXpansiom-and applying heavy pressure toV the bas-e section through the conlined rubber y8. That method `of attaching a composite heel consisting ofa rigidbase section and a pansion, whereby it becomes substantially incompressible, applying Vheavy pressure to Vthe base section-through the incompre'ssibleI rubber section, andA driving attaching nails" .through rboth sections vinto the shoe.vv

9. Means for attaching rubber heels comprising h-eel engaging instrumentalities constructed and arranged to stretch the rubber at aplace Where an attaching fastening is to be inserted, and means for inserting a fastening through the stretched rubber.

10. Mechanism yfor attaching a composite heelV at a single nailing comprising means for pressing the heel upon a shoe, and mechanism constructed and arranged vto drive simultaneously vtWo gangs of fastenings to such depths that the heads of the fastenings of one gang lie substantially in the planeof contact of the sections of the heel and the heads of the fastenings of the other gang lie Within one of said sections.

11. `In a heel attaching machine for attachino' heels having depressions in their tread faces, a nailing die having projections arranged to enter Aand engage the Walls of said depressions, said projections differing in shape from the depressions. f 12. In a heel attachingmachine for attaching heels having cup shaped depressions in their tread faces, a nailing die having projections upon its pressure applying face arrange-d to enter said depressions, the extremities Vof saidV projections being greater in diameter than the bottoms of the cavities, whereby the material around Vthe cavity is stretched `When pressure is applied.

13. In a heel attaching machine for attaching rubber heels having cup' shaped de-V pressions in their tread faces with the axes of the depressions disposed at an inclination to the tread facel ofthe heel, a nailing die yhaving a flat, pressure applying face provided with projections arranged to enter sad depressione and positiefs?, them in preattached heel.

determined, relative locations, the extremil "ties' of said projections being greater in di-y yameter than the bottoms-of the. cavities, Wherebyfthe` rubber around the cavities is stretched', and the axes of saidy projections 'being substantially normal to said'flat `face *of the nailing die. i

-lllQIn a heeljattaching machine for at-.f

t-aching heels .having depressionsin their tread faces, a nailing die having projections arranged to enter and-,engage thefWalls of said depressions, saidprojections :differing taching heels having 'depressionsin their tread faces, a .nailing die having projecv tions arranged to enter and-engage Vthe, Walls of said depressions, said projections diferjing in shapeand size from the depressions.

16. In a heellattaching machine for attaching heels having depressions in their tread faces, a nailing die havingprojections larranged-to enter and vfill said depressions,

and a surrounding rigid Wall fitting and conining theA entire intended -periphery of the 17. Means for attaching elasticheels having depressions in their tread faces com-V prising.' heel engaging instrumentalities constructed and arranged to forcethe depressions into predetermined, relative positions v and Vsimultaneously to confine the entire edge of 4the heel against expansion.

18. In a machinefor attaching heels having depressionsin their tread faces and having a normal shape different from that which it is intended they shall have When l attached to shoes, attaching instrumentalities comprising meansfor bending the heels to said intended shape, means for positively locating the depressions in predetermined relative positions, and means for driving attaching-nails. v. Y

19. In a machinefor attachingheels having depressions inl their tread faces and having a normal shape different from that. which it is intended they shall have when attached to shoes, attaching instrumentali- Y ties comprising means for forcing the *heels to said intended shape, andA means for locating the periphery of a heel and the depressions separately inV predeterminati, relative positions. Y

20. Ina machine for `attaching heels hav ingdepressions in their tread faces and having a normal shape differentl from that rately inpredetermined, krelative positions.

21. The rnethody of attaching' com fos'ite rubber leather heels to slices, @uns sting' 'its -in con'ibining and assembling a rubber top lift and a leather orfcomposition base in their proper positionvrelative to each other by attaching means driven through one of the named elements and intothe ot1 thereafter firmly securing bothelements to` the shoe. .y A

V22. The method of attaching composite Arubber and leather heels to shoes, Without the use of cement, consisting'in securing, the

"rubber heel tothe leather base by nails, and

thereafternailing,` boththe rubber heel and vthe'leather base simultaneously to Vthe vshoe,

and clinching the l.nailsinside the shoe.

23. The vmethod of attaching composite "rubber and leather-heels to shoes, consisting in combiningand assembling a-rubber top lift .fan-dia leather or composition base'in their proper positionl relative .to eachother by attaching means driven 'from the tread face or" the rubber top litt through and into the' base, `and thereafter lirmly securing both driven 4from. the tread faceof the V.rubber ner, and

heel into the base, .and thereafter Ynailing,

-both the 'rubber heel and the leather base A-simultaneouslv to theshoe, and clinching the nails insdethev shoe. Y Y

25. Means for attaching an' elastic heel comprisingaheel engaging, fasteningguid-V ing` nozzle, a work support, said nozzle and Work support being relativelymovable t0- Ward each other, means 4for etlecting rela-` tiveapproaching movement of the nozzle and Work support to cause the nozzle 4to tension the material of a heel upon the Work support, and a driver for inserting a fasten! nozzle into the tensioned Y ingr through the material.,

A machine'ior attaching rubber heels havingin combination a tapered'nozzle, a Work support, `means for causing relative movement of the tvorksupport andthe noz- Y zle .'o'iiorce .the nozzle into the rubber of the heel, thereby displacing and tensioning the g rubber adjacent to the nozzle,uand a driver operative to drive a fastening throughthe nozzle into the tensioned rubber ln testimony whereof Ihave signedmy nameto this specification. 1 n

JOHN B.' HADAWAY. 

